Pop Goes the Ketchum
by XyKPfan
Summary: A collection of oneshots depicting the different number of ways Ash Ketchum will propose to May. Please read and review! Advanceshipping. AAMayL, AshXMay. COMPLETE and REVISED
1. An Unforgettable Night

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I know you guys are anxiously waiting for me to update my _A Fateful Journey, A Manifesting Love_ fic, but this idea has just been gnawing at my head and I just had to write! This first chapter is how Ash proposes to May as hinted in my _A Christmas to Remember _fic. Little humor in this one. I don't wanna give to much away but this proposal was definitely stoppable!

* * *

_Oh lord, no! Please no! Not tonight! Anything but tonight!_

What was he doing? He had to go pick up May in five minutes for a very important date. Why was now the time that his car decided that it would stop running. Why now?

Opening the hood, Ash stared in at the interior. He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for, but something had to be wrong why the car didn't start.

"What do you think, buddy? See anything?" he asked as he looked over to best friend.

Pikachu peered in at the interior and shrugged his shoulders.

Ash sighed.

"Okay. I'll try giving it some gas again. You wait out here and tell me if anything happens."

Pikachu nodded his head and jumped back onto the sidewalk. Closing the hood, Ash got back into the driver's seat and turned the key again. Nothing happened. There was no quiet clicking meaning the battery was in the process of dying. No, the dome light came on when he opened the door. The headlights were still on. His car still had electrical power. He turned the key again. Zilch! Nada! What did that mean? How come they didn't teach Auto Shop in school anymore? When did everything become about being a trainer? What about those folks who hated pokémon and wanted nothing to do with training? What did they do for a living?

"Dang it!" Ash said slamming the car door as he got out, "Did you see anything, Pikachu?"

The small electrical mouse slowly shook his head.

"I didn't think so," Ash said as he joined his partner on the sidewalk. His mother would kill him if she knew he was sitting down on a dirty sidewalk wearing his good tux. But then again, he didn't really care. Of all the nights his car had to fail, this had to be the one.

There in the gloomy light of the interior lights he noticed his hands were covered in engine dirt.

Again, Ash sighed.

He was sitting there on the edge of a sidewalk with his pokémon, his head hanging low, when a shiny fiery red Lexus convertible pulled up beside him. He didn't look up until the driver spoke.

"Loser-car conk you out, hun?"

Ash didn't want to look up. He didn't want this. The last thing he needed was to get into a verbal battle with Harley.

Harley looked down at the young man with a raised eyebrow. Any one of a dozen hurtful barbs sprang to mind, ready to be hurled at his main's rival's boyfriend. But then he started to wonder. Why was the Loser all dressed up? Miss Know-it-All's birthday was a couple days ago. And Ketchum's B-Day past long ago. Surely they already had their celebrations? Even the stupid mouse is dressed up (he was wearing a red bow tie!) Why would he be dressed to the nines for a date? Unless…

A vicious smile spread across Harley's lips.

"Oh this is soooo precious!"

He looked down at Ash for a moment. He looked dejected. This wasn't right. Being rivals is one thing. Watching something like this go wrong is another thing completely. This sort of thing was not to be screwed up. Not if he had anything to do with it.

Plus, this would be something he could hang over their heads _FOREVER!_

"Get in, Ash," he said as he reached over and opened the passenger door.

"What?"

"Get in before I change my mind."

Blinking a couple times, Ash shared a glance with Pikachu before getting up off the sidewalk and into Harley's car.

"Here," Harley handed Ash a moist-nap for his dirty hands, followed by a small bottle of sanitizer. Sure, it wouldn't hurt for his hands to smell like daises!

"Why are you helping me, Harley?"

"Just because May's my rival doesn't mean you should suffer, right?"

Ash shook his head. That was the most he was getting out of Harley and he knew it. But he didn't really care at the moment. Bottom line was that Harley just saved him. Big time. He knew he'd had to owe the devil somehow. But he was worried about how.

In minutes, they were in front of May's apartment. Harley pulled up to the curb and let Ash out.

"Thanks, Harley. I really don't know what to…"

"Just don't screw this up, Ash."

"What do you…"

"Just for one night I'm being nice to you. You better not screw this up! May deserves better!" And with that, he sped off, not waiting for Ash to respond.

* * *

May examined herself in the mirror. She smiled to herself as she looked at the dress she was wearing. Tight, black, clinging to every curve. The LBD aka little black dress, was a weapon she hadn't broken out yet. She kept it in her closet, thinking she should save for more special occasions. And when Ash called her that evening and told her that he wanted to go on a special date that night so they could properly celebrate becoming adults just between the two of them (Both of them just recently turning 21, not counting the celebrations they had when they turned 18 and their actual birthdays being family celebrations), she enthusiastically agreed, loving the chance to really dress up and go out with her beau.

Putting on the ruby red earrings he gave her for her birthday a few days ago, May finished her ensemble with a pair of matching red pumps. She decided to keep her hair parted to the sides of her face just because she always had. It was her signature look.

Hearing her doorbell ring, she knew Ash was there to pick her up for their date. Looking herself over once more in the mirror, May smiled.

"How do I look, Espeon?"

The sun pokémon smiled and gave her trainer a firm nod.

"Okay," she said picking up her purse, "I'll be back around midnight. I love you."

"Espee."

"Oh, don't worry. I will," she said closing her bedroom.

Espeon shook her head. Stretching, she curled back up on the bed. Her human was certainly going to have some fun tonight.

"Hey, Ashy," May said as she greeted her boyfriend with a peck on the lips. Ash's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head when he saw May in her tight black dress.

"W-Wow, May. You look…wow…"

May smiled.

"You like?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm glad you do," she said as she got her jacket, "So whose car are we taking? Yours or mine?"

"Oh…um…yours?" Ash said as he began nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's fine," she said as she got the keys to her mint green Prius. Ash opted not to tell her about why his car wasn't there or that Harley had to give him a lift because his had broken down. He really shouldn't be so quick to spoil the evening. Not for what he had planned.

* * *

Ash was starting to relax again. Plan B was now in effect. In fact, he wished he had thought about asking May to come pick him up in her car anyway, but something inside of him said that would be wrong. Girlfriends simply did not pick their dates up, not if those dates were proper gentlemen. That meant taking an almost disastrous chance with his dumb excuse for a car. He still was reeling at the divine providence of Harley coming to the rescue. What was that about?

No matter. The evening was back on track. They arrived at the restaurant at precisely the time indicated by his reservations. It was perhaps the most exclusive eatery in all of Hoenn and it was almost always booked weeks in advance, sometimes even months. He knew he had burned up the majority of his favors securing the reservations, but it would be worth it. If everything else came off as planned it most certainly would be.

This also helped his cover story. If pressed, he would simply say that he called for a dress-up date because of an opportunity to take May there.

And there she was, sitting across the white linen table from him, smiling that wonderful smile, sapphire eyes glistening. It took all of his concentration not to let the butterflies in his stomach ruin the moment. He even had his line planned out. When the waiter brought their salads he would ask "Would you like some extra _karats_ with yours?"

Pikachu, upon hearing that one, simply grabbed his throat and made gagging sounds.

Everyone's a critic.

Everything was in place. There was the waiter, just leaving the kitchen, two dinner salads on a tray. He put his hand in his pocket, his fingers closing on a very special object…

…and the lights winked out.

"Oh man!" Ash muttered, pushing the item deep into his pocket.

The whole restaurant was plunged into darkness. Not only that, but it was apparent the whole city block had lost power. Slowly their eyes adjusted to the mellow light of the single candles flickering on each table.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The maitre d announced. "I have just gotten off the phone with zee power company and zey said it will be at least three hours before zey can restore our electricity. I regret that, but because of safety regulations, we will be forced to close for za evening. We apologize for zee inconvenience."

Ash didn't even hear him finish the statement. He just closed his eyes and silently counted to ten.

Time for Plan C.

Just what was Plan C anyway?

* * *

"May, I think there's another place just on the other side of Mauville Park? It's not nearly as nice but I hear they make a mean steak."

"Sure, Ash," She replied. She actually liked the place, though she had never actually told Ash that was one of the few places she had once gone to with Drew. Not that it mattered…yet…yes, it did matter. Not because of Drew but because of Ash. He risked his life to save hers countless times on many nights there. Drew…not so much.

They continued their walk until they came upon a clearing, where a small lake rested in the between Mauville City and the Mauville Forest.

"Oh, this is such a beautiful night."

"Remember, that performance we saw with Volbeat and Illumise a few years ago when we traveled?"

"Yeah. It was so beautiful!"

Ash smiled.

"May, look right there," he said pointing to a small star in the distance.

"Don't take your eyes off that light."

"Okay."

As instructed, May continued to stare at the little yellow light. Soon, the light got a bigger and bigger, almost like it was getting closer.

"Be Be!"

Instantly, a Volbeat appeared, shining from behind the light, his tail glowing brightly.

"Ash?"

Ash smiled before looking back up towards the bug pokémon.

"We're ready."

The Volbeat shook his head. Flying up high in the sky it unleashed a Signal Beam. Almost immediately, a swarm of Illumise and Volbeat appeared.

"Ash?"

"Keep watching, May."

Immediately the bug pokémon began putting on a show, dancing around, twirling, and spinning. May's heart fluttered at the display. The adorable show ended with each pokémon using a bright Flash, illuminating the dark evening sky.

May clapped her hands, loving every second of it.

"That was wonderful!"

"Not over yet, May."

"Really?"

"Yep. Show her your big finish, guys."

May anxiously turned around to see what else the performing pokémon were going to do. Only, she noticed they weren't dancing but slowly moving into some sort of position.

She furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Ash, what are they doing?"

"May, they're gonna spell out something I wanna ask you."

May paused. Instantly, her heart began to fill with hope. Ash took her hands.

"May, we've been best friends for so many years."

_W…_

"Every day I consider myself luck to have met you all those years ago in Littleroot Town."

_I…_

"I had no idea what I was getting myself into all those years ago."

_L…_

"I mean, you were rude and mean and had no regards for pokémon. In fact, you down right hated them."

_L…Will…_

"Not to mention the fact that you also had no experience whatsoever and…"

"I hope there's a 'but' coming in soon?"

_Y…_

Ash smiled.

_O…_

"But after you came and traveled with me, I saw that there was a lot more to you than a scared inexperienced little newbie."

_U…You_

"Wow, Ash. You've really got a way with words."

_M…_

"May, ever since that day, I've never been more happier in my life."

_A…_

"Really?"

"Yes. Accepting your offer makes me feel like I made such a smart decision back then."

May rolled her eyes.

"Ash, what have I told you about questioning your intelligence?"

"Just hear me out, May. It was such a smart decision because I got to know you. I got to see you laugh. I got to see you smile. I got to see that sparkle in your beautiful sapphire eyes that I would have never got to see if I didn't accept your offer to travel with me. Because of you, I got to learn about contests! And that has helped me in so many of my battles. You can ask everybody!"

_R…_

"May, you are the most beautiful, most talented, woman I know. May, I love you so, so much. And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

_R…Marr…_

The Volbeat and Illumise cried out as a mechanical claw shot through their display and snatched Pikachu from Ash's shoulder.

"PIKA! PIKA PIKA CHUUU!" Pikachu screamed as he rose higher into the air.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted as he saw the hand that gripped his pokémon move towards a large round shape.

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?" called a woman's voice.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear!" a man's voice replied.

"On the wind…"came the feminine voice again.

"Past the stars…" said the masculine voice.

"And in your ears!" said a high-pitched third.

"You guys are still active?" Ash shouted as he glared at the group known as Team Rocket.

"Excuse you, twerp! But we are not done with our motto yet!" Jesse said screaming down at the young man.

"It is very rude of you to interrupt!" James said as he raised his fist.

"Yeah. Don't yoz have any morals?" the pokémon known as Meowth said.

"Oh, for the love of…Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Now!"

Sparks began to fly off Pikachu's cheeks as he released a powerful bolt of lightning into the claw that held him, which trailed up to the balloon and caused a huge explosion, sending the team flying in the air with their usual cry of "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Pikachu landed safely in Ash's arms, and although he was happy to see his pokémon safe again, he had to come up with yet another plan to end this evening.

Plan D? What to do.

* * *

The couple continued their walk through a tree-lined park, just on the opposite side of Mauville City. They arrived at a park bench, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes.

"May, tell me something."

"Anything."

"Do you believe in Soulmates?"

"What do you mean? Like Pokéology stuff?"

"Well, sort of. Like, do you think two souls are meant to be together?"

"I think two people can be Soulmates, but it takes work. It has to be something they both want. I refuse to believe that two people can be meant to be together if they don't want to. That's the part of those 'Pokéology' books I really never liked. I also believe in it because we've met a couple who are real Soulmates."

"You mean Solana and Lunick?"

"Yeah. Solana told me that they went to see this famous pokéwizard guy so he could perform some spell that would merge their souls. In the process, they found out they had already done it by themselves."

She realized that Ash had stopped.

"Would you do that for me, May?"

"In a heartbeat, Ash Ketchum."

A small smile spread over his features. She thought for a moment he was going to kiss her to complete such a perfectly romantic moment. He surprised her when, instead, he dropped to one knee, pulling a velvet box out of his pocket.

"May Maple, will you be my Soulmate? Will you marry me?"

Her hands went to her mouth and tears started forming at the corners of her eyes. She reached for his hands and started to answer.

"Y…" was all she got out as the sprinklers came on, blasting both of them squarely in the face.

"THAT IS THE LAST STR…" Ash started to bellow when May gripped his hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Yes, Ash. YES YES YES!" she shouted, not caring that the two of them were getting solidly drenched.

"Now let's go home, get dried off, and put on some clothes so we can go out and celebrate properly," She suggested, pulling him for a long kiss afterwards.

A very wide smile spread across his face. This was one night neither would forget!

* * *

**A/N:** And there's the first chapter! Chapter two features...well...I'm not gonna tell you. You'll just have to wait and see.

Please don't forget to review. And don't forget to Keep on Rocking Everyone!


	2. Let's Have Some Fun

**A/N:** Here's the second chapter this series. Mostly a date that leads into a proposal. A little more mature theme and humor that I hope would be amusing to you.

* * *

Ash smiled joined his girlfriend on his living room sofa. The weather was too brutal to even consider going out. Most restaurants were closed since they decided the storm settling in over the region would not only keep most of their customers away, it would represent a danger to their employees as well. Ash said as much would be the case. He didn't really feel like going out anyway and May understood that. Besides, he could always improvise. That was his thing. And for what he had planned, the wildest snow storm couldn't penetrate.

Since this was just a simple indoor date, Ash was wearing his burgundy turtleneck sweater and some jeans. May was also wearing turtleneck sweater but felt the need to take it off when Ash put the heat on in his house, leaving her in a sleeveless orange vest and slacks.

Ash set two cups of hot chocolate on the table as he settled in next to his girlfriend.

"Here, you go. A hot cup of hot chocolate for you. And one for me."

"Thank you," she said as she picked up her cup.

"I just got off the phone. Every dance club that lets teens in is apparently closed. I even tried Bundy's."

May wrinkled her nose.

"I don't think I'd want to go there anyway."

"The older ones might be opened, though."

"Even if we are of age, Ash. I don't like going to those places. Something about those twenty one and older bars are just…uk! That's why I like going to the teen bars, and I'm not just saying that because we just turned twenty one."

"Sorry, May. An indoor date is it for today, movie too if the theater's even open."

"Well," She leaned over to him seductively, "An indoor date is fine with me. We've got food here. Movies don't need to be watched on a big screen. And I'm in no rush to go home."

Ash grinned goofily at her.

"I just thought of something, May," Ash said, picking up one of the cookies May had brought with her when she came over.

"What's that, Baby?" She asked, leaning against him again and lightly batting her eyes at him.

He stopped for a moment and just stared at her. Even in just a simple vest and slacks, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Uh, remember those films we saw in driver's ed a couple years ago?"

May pulled a face.

"Yeah, what's 'Ghost Car' got to do with anything? You seem to handle Dad's van just fine in the snow."

"Not that one," He shuddered slightly. The production values of the old film were terrible, but the real footage that had been interspersed with the acting would have made a Slasher film director proud.

"Later, after we got done with the testing."

"When most of us got done," May reminded him with a slight grin. Ash didn't manage to get his permit until very late in the course.

"Seventh time's the charm," He smiled back at her, "What I'm getting at, if we're gonna, you know…cuddle in the van, we're going to have to run the heater. It's already down to like twenty outside."

"Uh huh. No biggy, Ash. We've got a full tank of gas. The heater could run for hours if it has to," She hooked her ankle around his, "Besides, we don't need to cuddle in the van when we've got your couch, your bed…"

"My bed?"

"That came out wrong."

"You think? May, the way the snow is coming down, we run the risk of it piling up against the exhaust. People have died from suffocation that way, and since you had to walk over here you couldn't bring a blanket or anything."

May's face slumped down against her fists.

"Aww man," She said softly, realizing he was right.

"What about your parents place, May?"

She shook her head resolutely.

"Dad was lighting the fireplace as I left. They're expecting me to be out of the house all evening. Believe me, we do not want to go back there right now!"

"You mean they're…"

"LaLaLaLa," May started singing, clamping her hands over her ears.

"O…kay," he said, leaning back against the sofa.

May looked from tray of cookies, then to the cups of hot chocolate sitting there between them. She knew she was going to regret this, considering Ash's cast-iron stomach, but she had to ask.

"Ash, what is the most embarrassing thing you like to eat?"

He gave her the funniest look.

"Is this some kind of weird 'Is Ash like Drew thing?"

She dropped her chin into her palms again. She didn't run right to her room and start the spill into her diary. She was instantly on the phone with Ash and he knew almost every detail of that evening as well as she did. It didn't even occur to her that night she had to share it with the most important person in her world, one who had in fact saved her life that night.

"Yes it is, Ash. I don't really have any bad memories about Drew and it was a good question," She leaned over to him and whispered, "You already knew my answer to that question anyway."

"Well, yeah, I guess I'm one of only two people on this planet that would actually eat something like that. Hmmm. I don't get embarrassed so…"

"You do so get embarrassed!"

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do. Remember the time Melanie and Pikachu took your boxer shorts during the Sinnoh Derby and hung it as a flag right when the Ponyta and Rapidash were being put in their stalls? You woke up that morning butt naked and were running around the track like a Torchic with its head cut off," she said with a light chuckle.

"That so wasn't funny!"

"It so was!"

Ash is interrupted as he hears a high-pitched squeal coming from upstairs which he immediately recognizes as Pikachu's.

"Oh my gosh, Pikachu heard you!"

"It wasn't funny! I felt so deprived and violated. Everybody saw everything! Why do bad things happen to good people?" he said murmuring to himself.

"For what it's worth, Ash, you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

That caught him off guard.

"What?"

"From what I saw, you have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"You saw?"

A small smile crept across May's lips as she gave a slow nod. Ash's eyes widened.

"Oh God!"

"Ash?"

"I feel…I feel…I can't even describe to you how I feel!"

May rolled her eyes.

"Oh c'mon, Ash. It really isn't that big of a deal."

Ash cut his eyes at her.

"Bad choice of words. I know."

Ash crossed his arms _and_ his legs.

"I guess there's nothing left for me to do than to answer your question then is there?"

"I guess not, Ashy," she said as she batted her eyelashes. For some reason, that nickname sounded so much more appealing coming from her than it did from Gary.

He looked up at the ceiling, tapping his cheek like he was deep in thought. Finally he held out his hands.

"I can think of a lot of stuff I'd eat that would gross some people out, but embarrassing? I can't think of anything. Oh, wait, how about the happy-face breakfast at the pancake place. You know, the one that makes a smiley face out of the bacon on a pancake?"

May absently dipped a cookie into the hot chocolate.

"Okay, smarty-pants, though the last time we ate there you got an omelet the size of Fiore and managed to polish off most of mine as well."

"Yeah, we've got to eat there again sometime. How about tomorrow?"

"Okay, though I'm going to make you get the happy-face," She picked up another cookie and ate it, "I was reading a quiz in one of my magazines last night and it got me to thinking. Just how well do you know me?"

"Um, May, in the eleven years we've known each other we've been apart maybe four months, tops, not counting when I was in Sinnoh. I know you better than you know your brother."

"Well, let's see if I can remember some of the questions. There were some stupid ones in there, like what color my eyes are."

Ash laughed slightly.

"Somebody sitting on the far side of the gym knows what color your eyes are."

"Yeah, like I said, that question was kind of stupid but there were others, ones you might not have thought too much about, things you might take for granted."

"I can't ever take you for granted," He said, taking about his tenth cookie since they had been sitting there.

"What's my favorite color?"

"Pink," He said easily.

"Oh, really? Are you so sure? I wore a green bandana almost constantly throughout my Coordinating career. Sometimes I wore the red one with my matching red outfit."

"Well, that's true, but in this house in the bottom of my chest-of-drawers there are five pairs of pink…"

"Okay, you got me there," Her eyes narrowed at him a bit, "Though I have to wonder why you're going through my drawer."

"Can I plead the fifth?"

May crossed her arms and gave him a mock-serious face.

"No." She said, glaring at him.

"Okay. Mom makes me do the laundry you leave at the house since we've been dating just in case you left something here I wouldn't want her to see. After that pair…"

"Whoa, you're right, she's right, let's leave it there," Fortunately she knew Ash's mother had never seen that particular pair of panties. It was bad enough who did.

"Next question." She said. "What's my favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Are you sure all the questions aren't dumb? Edy's Fudge Ripple, and when you can't get that, then it's the cheap stuff in the little plastic cups."

"Favorite TV show?"

"_Bold and the Beautiful_, though I'd bet _Young and the Restless_ is a close second."

"Favorite movie?"

"_Titanic_."

"Favorite song?"

"_Chiisaki Mono?_ Come on, May, these are all easy."

"Favorite band?"

"Uh, I dunno. Spurt? You're not that big on music."

"Ah, got you on one. Spurt is yours, I liked them for about a week and then when I met those spoiled party girls…"

"Then what is it? You don't even have a CD player in your room except for your computer."

May pulled her cell phone out of her purse and punched a few buttons. Who needed an expensive MP3 player when you could tie into your little brother's mainframe and his massive collection of downloaded tunes. _I Won't Lose_ started softly playing.

"She's not really a band, more of a solo artist," Ash said.

May shrugged.

"She was playing when we had our first real kiss, she was there on our first real date, so I think she counts."

"Okay, now all the same questions about me." Ash said, polishing off the last of his last of the cookies on his tray and hungrily eyeing the ones that were on May's plate.

May raised an eyebrow at him and picked her food up for another big bite. She was hungry too.

"Well?" He prompted.

"Red." She said finally.

"Really? What makes you think that?" he said, smiling as he took a long draw of the now lukewarm chocolate they were sharing. He already finished his.

"You wear that red cap all the time. I figure it must be your favorite color."

"Guess again." He said, his look starting to get a little smug.

"Copper?"

"Oh, I like that color. Really good," He reached across and lightly stoked a lock of her hair, "Try again."

"Okay, Ash, I'm stumped. Don't tell me it's black," She pulled the zip of her vest down slightly so he could see the piece of camisole she wore under it.

"Pink." He said finally.

"Ash, that's sweet, but you don't have to say your favorite color is the same as mine."

"Really, May, it's pink. Has been since, oh, not long after we turned sixteen, when I found out you had on pink with a big red heart printed on it."

May blushed crimson, then flushed with a bit of anger.

"You mean what I was wearing when that pokemaniac Bill accidently activated his Pokemon teleportation device? When we switched brains?"

Ash just nodded sheepishly.

"You said you didn't look!"

"Um, May, I'm a guy, I couldn't help it. We both had to change clothes and I wasn't exactly in familiar territory there…and you have that big dressing mirror in your room."

"I didn't look," She said, crossing her arms _and_ her legs just he had done earlier, only she hugged her arms and legs tighter together.

"I call BS on you," He said, laughing slightly.

"I swear to you, Ash. I just closed my eyes and pretended I was putting my own clothes on. I so didn't want to see…that."

"Yet you had no problem adverting your eyes when Melanie and Pikachu decided to play Punk'd?" he said with a raised eyebrow. May blushed slightly but still stood her ground.

"So that's how you ended up getting me caught in my zipper? You weren't looking," His grin got impossibly wider.

"That hurt!" she squeaked.

"How do you think I felt when we got our own bodies back? Okay, next question. What's my favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"I'm still upset about you eyeballing my body like that."

"You don't know, do you," It was his turn to rest his chin on his fist, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I do too. It's chocolate."

Ash shook his head.

"That's just what we eat when get together since we both like it. It's butter pecan."

"Ash, that's old-people ice cream. Since when do you like that?"

"Since it's the only other flavor besides Fudge Ripple in your freezer. I can't help it, I like it."

"Humph. Your favorite band is Spurt, your favorite show is the one with the talking sponge, favorite movie is _Plusle and Minun's Great Adventure_ and your favorite song is _Because the Sky is There_."

"Well, I am kind of partial to _that _song. Sentimental reasons. Pikachu and I feel a special closeness with that song. You got one right, May," He said, rolling his eyes, until May shoved him lightly before nestling into the crook of his neck.

About that moment, Ash thought it was time.

"May?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"Let's play another game."

"Okay," she said sitting up, "Whatcha you have in mind?"

"Well, first, let me ask you…do you believe actions speak louder than words?"

May shrugged.

"I dunno. Sometimes. I guess it depends."

"Well, the game is called 'I Say, You Do'."

"'I Say…You Do?'"

"Yeah. You start by saying the phrase 'If I were to…' then you'd say something that you might do. Then you're supposed to ask your partner 'What would you do?' Then, your partner is supposed to either tell or show you how they would react to your question."

"O-Kay. Playing along," she said as she sat back.

"It's really not that hard. Mom and I used to play it all the time."

"I'm more of a hands-on kind of person, Ash."

"Like…Okay…If I were to ask you kiss me, what would you do?"

"I'd kiss you."

"If I were to invite my mother over for dinner, what would you do?"

"I'd be upset that you didn't tell me she was coming beforehand and that I'd have to cook a dinner for three, but I'd get over it more-or-less."

Ash smiled.

"If I were to call your dad and tell him we were doing something nasty right now, what would you do?"

"I'd moan into the phone."

"May!"

"I'm just kidding. You are so cute when you're completely petrified."

After getting over his initial shock, Ash tried to calm his nerves as he asked his next question.

"If I were declared Pokemon Master of the World and you were right there with me and we were on national television, what would you do?"

"I'd give you the biggest, wettest kiss right then and there. Then I'd look in the camera and say 'To hell with all you fangirls! Ash Ketchum! My man! Look at him! The Greatest Pokemon Master of the World and he's mine! All mine!'"

"You know, I think you have a problem, May. Might wanna consider looking into therapy."

"I'm a competitive Coordinator in love with a hot, HOT Trainer. Shoot me if I'm wrong for being a little snippy when it comes to horny teens drooling over my guy."

Ash blinked a couple times before he could continue. May almost completely ruined the mood he had set for the evening.

"Um…if I were to give you a rose and color it blue, what would you do?"

"Well, a blue rose symbolizes mystery but it's also attaining something that is impossible. I'd take it to mean the latter and give you deep pink rose in response."

_Deep Pink…Thank You. Huh. Glad she didn't say orange._

"If I were to give you a pink rose, what would you do?"

"I'd probably say thank you."

"And if I were to give you a white rose, what would you do?"

"White ro…unity…um…Ash…"

"May," Ash said as he pulled the velvet box out of his pocket, "if I were get one knee and ask you to become my wife, what would you say?"

May's hands flew to her mouth as she stared at the 18k White Gold Diamond Engagement Ring. So stunned by his proposal, she had forgotten to give poor Ash an answer, leaving him kneeling there on the floor, nervously questioning himself.

"May? What would you say?"

She still hadn't heard him. Ash's throat began to feel dry.

"May?"

But that time she did.

"Huh?"

"What would you say?"

May blinked a couple times. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it abruptly, much to Ash's chagrin. Rather than giving him a verbal answer, she bent down and kissed him firmly on the lips. The kiss caught him off guard and rather than lead into it, he fell back, taking May with him and causing the two of them to fall onto the floor.

The awkward position caused Ash's face to turn a shade of red.

"See, you do blush."

"Only my mom could make me do such a thing."

"Well, that makes two women. You mom and your fiancée."

Ash's eyes widened.

"Fiancée? It's a yes?"

"What'd you expect?"

"Yes? I'd cheer louder but I'm not really in a position to do much movement right about now."

May rolled her eyes as she slowly got off her soon-to-be husband.

"Riiiiiiggght. About the roses thing you were talking about? You know about the pink and white?"

"What about it?"

"You know what happens when you merge the two?"

"Unification forevermore. That's how I just proposed."

"Well, I think we should perform a little merging of our own," she said seductively.

"And by that you mean?"

Giving him a light, tender kiss on the lips, May let that thought linger in his head for a while as she slowly made her way upstairs to his bedroom.

The gears in Ash's head began to click and his eyes widened when he realized what she wanted to do. Instantly, he sprinted after her and closed the door behind him, banishing Pikachu downstairs for the night.

* * *

**A/N:** And there's chapter two. Sorry it took so long. Chapter three's a little different from what you'd expect.


	3. A Man to Man Talk

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Here's the third chapter. This isn't an actual proposal. Ash goes to Norman to ask a little something.

* * *

It was already way past sunset. The dark was cold and uninviting when a solitary figure slowly walked out of the shadows into the yellow glow of the streetlamp. His head was held high, but his heart was heavy. He wasn't sure whether he could do this. But he had to. For his important someone. He stood unblinking under the yellow glow, at the driveway which led up to the house where the love of his life lived.

His sneakers loudly crunched the loose sand beneath his feet as he gingerly walked up the concrete path. He ignored the queasy feeling in his stomach, not knowing when his courage would give out. All he needed to do was to remember to _breathe_. _Head in the game, Ash. Remember why you're here. _

He felt his partner give him reassuring pat on the back, before making a victory sign with his tiny fingers.

"Thanks buddy."

He wiped his feet on the welcome mat, brushed his jeans down with his hands, smoothed his already neatly pressed shirt and quickly checked his hair for the fourth time in the reflection of the window next to the door. He took another deep breath. For the last time, he ran his fingers through his hair again. He cleared his throat and was about to rap his knuckles on the door when it swung open.

"Good evening, Ash," Norman greeted the wide-eyed, open-jawed, gawking young man standing at the front door.

_Remember to breathe. _

"Err… Hi Norman, Sir…" Ash stammered out. His face was feeling a little flushed.

"Are you looking for May? She's not here at the moment. She's out shopping with her girlfriends or something."

"Ah… I know that… I just… well…"

"Yes, Ash?" Norman answered testily.

"Yeah, I'm not here for May. Actually… I wanted to," Ash struggled to bring the words from his mouth, "…talk to you. Man to man."

Norman's left eyebrow arched as he scrutinized the perspiring young man standing on his doorstep.

"What about?" His voice was flat and unassuming. _More like a statement or matter of fact thing, rather than a question_, Ash thought.

"It's about May."

"What about May, Mr. Ketchum?"

That tone. Ash had only heard his name mentioned once like that, and it was a long time back. That very same tone had mentioned something along the lines of _"one way ticket" _and "_mashing gym" _and "_I know people". _

_Now's not the time to panic. You can do this._

Ash swallowed hard.

_Remember to breathe._

"I would like to ask…" Ash's voice broke off into a whisper. "… for May's hand in marriage."

A veil fell over Norman face, cleansing it of all discernible emotion. All that's left was a steely face and cold pointed eyes that seem to bore into the very fabric of his being. Ash did not know what to make of that expression. Was it anger? Disapproval? Scorn? Anything?

"N-Norman?" Ash whispered, slowly feeling the fear and anxiety grip his already numb body.

"Ash," Flat. Totally flat, mechanical voice, "Come with me."

"Uhh…W-Where to?" Ash did not feel Norman shoulder push pass him as he walked towards his car parked in the driveway. His mind was blank and his heart was in his throat and all he was thankful for was that he had been too nervous to eat anything in the past 24 hours.

_Is this it? Is this how it ends? _Ash thought. A picture of him being thrown across the gym floor with a legion of Normal-type pokemon stampeding towards him flashed across his mind. _I never told May goodbye and that I love her. I should tell her I'm sorry that I didn't make it back. I'm going to miss her…_

"You'll see. Get in," Norman gruffly broke his thoughts and gestured to the front passenger seat with a curt nod. Then he sat down and started the engine, while waiting for the skittish young man to run around the side of the car.

Ash looked down towards the ground. Pikachu had hopped off his shoulder around the time Norman's cold stare began.

"Pikachu, buddy. I'm gonna need you to stay here."

"Pika?"

"Just in case I don't make it back, I love you," he said as he got into the car.

Norman did not wait for Ash to strap in his seat belt. He just accelerated hard and Ash felt his back slam into the car seat. He saw Pikachu standing there in Norman's driveway, a confused and worried look on his face.

_I love you, buddy._

* * *

_It's quiet in here. Far too quiet. The stereo's not even turned on._

Ash twitched nervously in his seat.

_Say something Norman. Please, _He prayed.

_Anything._

"So, you want to marry my _only _daughter?"

_Okay, maybe not anything._

Ash wasn't quite sure what Norman meant when he said "only". Sure, May was his only daughter, but why did his voice have to grate over the word, "only"?

It wasn't like Ash was trying to steal away his only daughter. He just wanted to marry her. Wait. That's like taking away his only daughter from him. _That's… what am I thinking? What would May say? Head in the game, Ash! Head in the game!_

Yes. _Short, sweet, and to the point. Don't show you're nervous, Ash. You can do this._

At least that was what Ash thought before he said,

"Yes," Ash's voice broke into a high-pitched squeak like that of a Rattata's.

_Way to go, Mr. Ash Ketchum, you sound so macho. At this rate, you better wait for May to ask your mom for your hand in marriage instead._

"Is this because she's pregnant?"

"Wha…?" Ash was completely caught off-guard. If he wasn't already sitting and strapped in, he'd have collapsed and oozed into a little puddle and ruining the upholstery.

Hurriedly he stammered.

"No… no that's not it… May's fine, everything is fine… no pregnant, I don't want kids. Wait, no, I mean, I do want kids, but not this soon. Well, only if you want grandchildren, which I so totally do, I mean, I want children, really, but not…I mean…"

_Remember to breathe._ He caught himself before he blabbered on some more. _Is this the way to the gym? _Ash stared straight down the road, trying to discern where they were going.

Norman remained expressionless. His lips pursed hard at the torrent of words that blurted out of Ash's mouth.

"Ash. How long have you known May?"

"I… I've known her for nine years."

"How long have you dated?"

"I…we've been going out for the last seven years since I came back from Sinnoh."

"So why should I let you marry my _only _daughter?"

_Okay. He's a little possessive of May. But I can do this. I just have to let him know that I want to marry her. _

"I got it all worked out. I know it's not much, but I'm graduating next year, and I've lined up a summer job with this academy uptown as a trainee. If they like me, I might be looking at something better. Also I've got a bit of savings, it's not much, but it's enough to rent a place after we've graduated next month. I can take care of her and I really love her," Ash smiled to himself. He'd had it all written out and rehearsed it in front of Pikachu. Many times.

Norman kept his eyes on the road. His lips pursed thinly. _Again, the awkward silence._ Ash shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He tried to wipe the sweat off his palms on his jeans.

"Is that it?"

_Is that it? _Ash choked. _That wasn't part of the script. We're supposed to… talk? I ask? He agrees? Wait, does this mean he… wha? Don't think like that Ash. Don't freak out._

_Remember to breathe._

"Is… wha… I mean, I… I really love her and I really… care about her." Ash repeated weakly.

"Uh huh. I know a lot of other people who love my daughter too."

"I… I'll take really good care of her?" Ash's voice became a little strangled. He could feel himself clawing for air. Or something more.

"And…?"

"I… I… I bought this ring for May," Ash dug his sweaty palm into his pockets and pulled out a navy blue velvet box.

Again, the long painful silence. Norman did not even turn to look at the emerald platinum ring in Ash's trembling hands. Ash's hands continued to tremble as he held out the trinket of his affection, waiting for some sort of sign of acceptance. But nothing came, not even a glance or nod. Finally Ash heard Norman sigh.

"Ash, I also care for May and I love her very much. Let me ask again, why should I let you marry my daughter?"

Ash sat in silence for a moment. He gazed out the window at the passing streetlights as he thought of how he was going to answer that question. Ominously, they drove by the sign, The Petalburg Gym. And Ash gulped.

_May is May. There's no one like her. She's smart, beautiful, charming. She's special. She's…_

"She means the world to me. Every step of my life she's been there for me, as I've been there for her. I guess, we were always together, and we will always be together. I… cannot imagine a future without her…"

"Ash. I did not ask you why you want to marry my daughter," Norman's voice cut him short.

Ash shuffled uncomfortably. He'd thrown everything out there already. He thought he knew why he wanted to marry May. He felt so sure that this was what he wanted, he felt so sure this was what May wanted. Now, he just didn't know.

Norman cleared his throat.

"Ash. Imagine one day, you have a daughter. And she's twenty-one like you are now, or nineteen like May is now. And one day her boyfriend asks you for your permission to marry her. What are your thoughts?"

"I don't know… I would like to know if he can take care of her," Ash hesitated.

"That's a start."

"I think the guy has to be a decent person," Ash ventured.

"What else?"

"I… I would want to know if he's nice to her."

"And?"

"And… I would want to know if I can trust this guy."

"Trust him to do what?"

"I… I don't know where you're going with this, Norman."

"Ash, what is it you like most about May?"

"That's easy. I like her smile best. Whenever she smiles, she just glistens, and I want to just be in her glow. Her smile reminds me of all the best there is in May. And I don't think she'd be May without that smile of hers. And I want that smile to be the first and last thing that I see every day."

"Me too, Ash. Me too."

They sat in silence for a while. Ash tried picturing that smile. She flashed it at him this morning, when he brought her breakfast in bed. He could see that smile when he barged in on her lecture, and gave her a bouquet of nineteen roses on her birthday, much to the envy and applause of her classmates. And there was the time he took her to a private beach, and they held each other as the sun went down.

And Ash suddenly sat up. He got it.

"Norman. I want you to know that first of all, we are not just love struck lovers. May will always be my best friend and I will do my best to make her happy. I made a mistake once, I trusted someone else, thinking that he'll make her happier than I ever could. But I'll never make that mistake ever again in placing her happiness in someone else's hands."

Ash thought of Brendan, her _best_ friend since childhood. If he had only the courage then to say what he said now, she'd be a lot happier. And it had hurt May and him just because he didn't think he was good enough. He took another deep breath.

"I want her to be happy and you can trust me on this because nothing means more to me than her happiness. I will give May every reason to smile every day for the rest of her life. I know you would to, and this is why I'm asking for her hand in marriage."

Was that a hint of a smile on Norman's face? Ash wasn't so sure.

"What's your fondest memory of May's smile, Ash?" Norman's voice softened a bit.

"I don't know, Norman. There's too many to say, I guess," Ash grinned.

"You know, mine is when May was five. It was a school night, and I got back late from work at the gym, and I walked in to find May waiting for me on the couch. I told her sharply that she should be sleeping. But she said she was waiting for me to tell her a bed time story like I had promised…"

* * *

_He gently picked up his precious daughter and carried her upstairs. _

'_She's getting a little heavier, or so I'm getting a little older,' he thought. 'Or maybe we're just both growing up.'_

_He gave her a little kiss on the forehead as he tucked her and Teddiersa doll in. _

"_So which story do you want to hear, May?" Norman asked, glancing at the stack of books on her bedside table. His finger gently ran down the spines of the books, wondering whether she wanted to hear Poochyena Come Home for the eighth time._

"_Can you tell me how you and Mommy got married?" she asked. _

"_Oh? Which part?" Norman was mildly surprised._

"_You know, how you met Mommy and fell in love?" _

"_I don't think we have time for that," He didn't want to go into that topic of love, she was only five._

"_Please? Daddy?" And she flashed her infamous little pout. And he felt his heart crumble._

"_And that was it," A smile crept to his face._

"_Huh, Daddy? I don't understand."_

"_You know? That little pout? Your mother was the first one who used it on me. We were young and in college. I was a studying what it took to become a Gym Leader while she was keen to nursing. We were lab partners and I was in love with her for the longest time, but I couldn't tell her that. Then, one day, she caught me looking at her and angrily told me, 'Norman, when are you going to ask me out on a date?'"_

"_So did you ask her out?"_

"_I wanted to. But I hesitated. I didn't dare to. But she didn't take no for an answer, and gave me that cute little pout for the first time," He smiled._

"_I'm glad you asked Mommy out, Daddy."_

"_I'm glad too."_

"_Daddy? You know when I grow up, I wanna marry you."_

"_Oh? I don't think you want to do that."_

"_Why not? You're the nicest, sweetest daddy out there."_

"_Because I already have your mom."_

"_Oh," She pouted and looked away, "Then I'm going to ask Brendan to marry me."_

"_Really?" His eyes opened wide._

"_He's very nice. And cute too." She smiled at the thought._

"_Ah, well, I'm sure he is."_

"_Or maybe…that boy."_

"_What boy?"_

"_I had a dream about this boy. It wasn't Brendan. His hair was black. His eyes were brown. And…I was wearing white," May's eyes sparkled like white Christmas lights on a cold, dark night._

_Norman cringed at his five year old daughter already dreaming about boys and walking down the aisle. _

"_Time to sleep, May. Good night," He gently patted her head and brushed a lock of hair off her smiling face. _

"_Good night, Daddy."_

_He turned and walked towards the door. He reached his hand up to the switch and turned off the lights. And as he stood in the doorway, he heard a little voice call out to him._

"_Daddy?"_

"_Yes, May?"_

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too," He smiled and closed the door slowly behind him._

* * *

They both sat quietly, as the car cruised on to nowhere. _Wait, didn't we come by here? Isn't this the way to the gym? _And Ash suddenly realized that the houses indeed looked familiar. He'd been here many times. He'd walked down this very same street just an hour ago, just like he always had almost every day in the past nine years. There he was again, looking at the house where the love of his life lived.

The car pulled up into the driveway. Two somber figures silently got out of the car and walked up to the front porch. There was a sharp movement behind the curtain and the door was thrown open and a clearly worried copper-headed woman was standing at the doorway.

"Dad! Where did you take my boyfriend?" May asked sharply, a worried Pikachu at her feet.

"Oh, nowhere, May. We just went for a drive," Norman gave her a big smile, "Is this how you greet your father?"

"Oh Daddy…" May stepped forward and gave her father a big hug, "What were you two talking about?"

"Guy stuff. You wouldn't want to know," Norman grinned.

"Humph. Ash will tell me all about it," She turned to her boyfriend, gave him a hug and a quick peck on the lips, "Come to my room, Ash. I want to show you what I bought at the mall."

"Uh… okay," Ash smiled sheepishly, mildly aware of the stern look on Norman's face when May kissed him.

May held his hand and pulled him into the house. The two young lovers and Pikachu ran up the stairs, leaving Norman standing on his front porch. Usually he'd frown on them going upstairs to her room together this late, but tonight he's willing to let her go.

_Let her go, huh? She already left. _He looked wistfully at the memory of a little girl, running up the stairs.

_There goes my little girl,_ he thought. _There goes my little girl._

"Did you have to do all that, Norman?" An older but just as beautiful copper-haired woman stepped into the doorway. He broke into another wide smile.

"Do what?" Norman tried to look as innocent as possible.

"You know what I mean, Norman. The whole act of driving off into the night, like you were going to drop him off at the gym and pummel him with your pokémon."

"Hey, I could have my fun too."

"You knew you were going to say yes," She smiled exasperatedly.

"Well…"

"Didn't you say that if they didn't get married soon, you'd march them both down to church this Sunday?"

"I know, I know… I just had to make sure."

"So, are you sure now?"

"Yes, now more than ever."

"Come here then," Caroline reached out with both hands and pulled her husband close to her and they kissed. Norman Maple reached around his wife's waist and pulled her close, and then they both walked in and closed the door behind them and another chapter in their lives.

* * *

**A/N:** And there's chapter three. Not an actual proposal but this idea was just begging to be written. I couldn't help it.


	4. I Love You, And Only You

**A/N:** Here's the fourth chapter! Three men, Three rings, One girl. Total Drama-Rama.

* * *

May Maple sat in her living room unsure of what to do. The events from previous days still fresh in her mind, when three men came over to her house and asked her something that would change their lives forever.

May hummed quietly as she flipped another page in her _Friends and Rivals Scrapbook_. She rested her chin on her fist, studying a page intently, when a certain raven haired young man popped up on the next page. Her fingers danced over the photo, tracing his every feature, bringing a smile upon her lips.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock coming from her front door. Closing her scrapbook, May slowly walked over to her front door. A tall man carrying about twelve red roses stepped into her house, soon followed by another, then another, then another, then another, until twelve men filled her home carrying the floral arrangements. She was astonished to see a man with mint green hair and green eyes at her doorstep. He was wearing a white tux and he had a huge grin on his face.

"Drew?"

Drew flicked his hair carelessly before looking May in her eyes.

"_May _I come in?"

May blinked a couple times before answering.

"Um…sure?"

A small spread across Drew's lips as he leisurely walked into May's house.

May slowly closed the door as she continued to wonder what Drew was doing there. She felt something shoved in her face only to notice a few moments later that it was a red rose. She saw Drew smiling that wide smile and knew he what he was thinking.

"A dozen dozen roses for my rose."

May smiled weakly as she took the little dew-dropped flower.

"You always had a thing with roses didn't you, Drew?"

"Only cause I thought they would impress you?"

May began to feel uncomfortable. What was he doing here?

"Um…Drew. W-Why don't you have a seat on the couch?"

"Alright," he said as he slowly made his way over to the purple loveseat in her living room. May sat down next to him. She noticed that the twelve men that filled her home still stood there, staring at her with interest, the bouquet of flowers still in their hands.

"Oh, you could just put those down…anywhere," She said as she began looking around the room, "Anywhere you can find a spot."

After placing the roses down, he twelve men exited the house, leaving May and her visitor alone.

"May, you and I have known each other for how many years?"

"I dunno. Like eleven years?"

"Right. And do you know why I always gave you a rose all these years, May?"

May rolled her tongue in her mouth for a moment before putting the beautiful rose on the coffee table.

"Um…Drew…"

"A rose symbolizes beauty and love…"

"And pain."

Drew smiled at May's remark and picked up the beautiful red rose off of the coffee table.

"When I gave you these roses, May, it was my way of flirting with you."

"Drew…"

Drew put his finger on May's lips, telling her to let him finish.

"I know I've been a real jerk in the past, May. But I've changed. You know that, right?"

"I guess. I've seen you become less arrogant but…"

"And it was all for you, May. I've changed my ways and have become a Master Coordinator all for you."

May smiled weakly.

"Drew, that's sweet but…"

"May," he said quickly getting to his feet, "Remember five years ago, when we were together on the Coordinator's retreat?"

"What?"

"When I proposed to you then? But we said we were too young to rush into marriage and so we decided to wait?"

May's heart began to beat faster. Yes, it was true the two were engaged for about a day before they decided to wait until they were older to get married. The fact that Drew was recalling the proposal to mind meant that he wanted to do the same thing there too. But the truth was, in the five years they had been separated she had fallen for someone else. And she had yet to tell Drew.

"Drew…I need to tell you something," she hesitated.

"I do too, May," he said taking his seat next to her again, "I can't wait any longer. I love you more than I did five years ago."

"But Drew…"

"And that is why I want to give you this," he said, pulling out a red velvet box, opening it up to reveal a 25 karat diamond ring engagement ring.

May's eyes widened as she gazed upon the beautiful ring.

"Drew…"

"May Maple, will you marry me?" he asked, immediately dropping to one knee.

May sat aghast as she continued to stare at the ring Drew was holding in his hands.

"May? I need an answer?"

May locked eyes with him. She didn't love him the way she did five years ago. She was in love with someone else. How could she accept this?

"Drew… we're not…I mean…I can't…"

"I understand…" he said immediately getting back to his feet, "You need time to think about it."

"Drew…no…"

Drew held up his hand.

"It's okay, May. I get it. Tell you what, how about I go in the kitchen and make us a couple of drinks. And when I come back, we can have a toast, to our engagement," he said as he placed the red box in her hands and kissed her lightly on her forehead.

Before May could even call out to Drew, he was already in the kitchen. She sighed as looked back down at the red velvet box, opening it up to look at the expensive ring contained within it.

What was she going to do? She didn't want to hurt Drew. But she couldn't accept this ring. Not when she was in love with someone else.

May's thoughts were interrupted as she heard someone knocking on her door. Opening a draw on her coffee table, May placed Drew's ring in it, closing it just as quickly as she went to go answer the door.

To her surprise, there was a young man leaning against the door with short feathery white hair and gray eyes standing at her doorstep. He was wearing a black tux and a red headband. A smile formed on his lips when he saw May.

"Hey, Mace."

May blinked a coupled times as she tried to come over the sudden shock over seeing her childhood friend at her door.

"Brendan?"

"The one and only," he said as he strode into the house. He arched his eyebrow as he noticed the dozens of roses in her home, "You, uh, done some redecorating?"

"Oh, um…y-yeah. They're very good for scenting the area."

Brendan began scrutinizing May, almost as if he were contemplating on whether he should believe her or not.

"What are you doing over here, Brendan?"

That wide smile returned on Brendan's face.

"May, I've got some amazing news!"

"What is it?" She said as she closed the door.

"The the Elite Four want me to become a member! They want me to join them to become the Elite Five!"

May raised her eyebrows.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure about anything else in my life! Oh May, this has been my lifelong dream and now it's becoming a reality!"

"Surer, Brendan. Correct grammar usage is surer?"

"Don't correct me while I'm gloating, May!"

A warm smile began to form across May's lips.

"I'm very happy for you, Brendan."

Brendan's smile seemed to widened at his friend's light-hearted affection.

"I'm happy for me to. For the both of us."

May made a face. The both of them?

There was a sparkle in Brendan's eyes. That was the same kind of sparkle he'd get when he'd win a battle or when he'd add a new pokémon to his team. In fact, that same sparkle was in his eyes just moments ago, when he told her of his membership in Hoenn's Elite Five. But why now was that sparkle shinning in his eyes?

"May, remember when we were five and how we used to play house every Sunday after our dads had their weekly meetings at your house?"

"Yeah," May said uneasily, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Remember how on one of those days, we went up to the big oak tree by the lab and I got down on one knee and proposed to you?"

May's heart began to race.

_Oh God, no. Not again._

"May, that was exactly seventeen years ago til this very day."

"It…was?" she squeaked as she started to feel nervous.

"Yes. And it was a day I'll never forget."

Brendan's smile widened as he took May's hands.

"May, you know I've always love you. Since that day you moved to Petalburg City. And even when I started my journey, I promised you that I would go and get strong and win for you."

"Brendan…"

"May, everything I've ever done has been for you. And now that I am so close to my goal, I wanna make both of our dreams become a reality," he said as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a certain item. He dropped to one knee just as Drew had done before him.

"Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

May sighed as she looked at the princess cut diamond engagement ring. She couldn't accept it. She didn't love him. Not the same way he loved her.

"Brendan…I can't…I…"

A weak smile formed across Brendan's lips as he got up and closed the black velvet.

"I get it. You need more time to think about it."

"Brendan, no…"

"It's okay, May. If you need time I'll give you time," he said as placed the box firmly in her hands.

"Brendan…"

"Hey May, you got a bathroom in here? I just drank like four gallons soda before I came over here and my bladder's about to explode!"

"Upstairs. Second door to your left."

Brendan hurriedly raced up the stairs.

"Thanks May. When I come back I'd like to know how you feel."

May sighed as she looked back at the black box she held in her hands. What was happening? First Drew and now Brendan?

Glancing back up the stairs, May quickly made her way to the kitchen. She peered inside to see Drew blending several ingredients in her mother's margarita blender. Most likely he was making a glass of margaritas to celebrate their engagement, which she herself didn't even give an answer to and thus, didn't agree to.

May nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her doorbell being rung incessantly. Hastily, May put Brendan's ring in the same draw she put Drew's. She made her way to her front door and slowly opened it.

Before May could even get a look at the person she felt a pair of warm lips over hers. When May felt the person pull away, a smile instantly appeared on her face. She didn't need to see the person to know who it was that kissed her. She knew Ash Ketchum was standing there at her doorstep.

"Sorry for kissing you like that, May. I'm just so happy right now," he said as he stepped through the door, "Oh sorry. I should have asked if I could come in before I stepped in here."

"It's alright," she said as she closed the door, "Where's Pikachu?"

"Back at home. This was something I needed to do alone."

"Uh, Ash? What are you wearing?" May arched her eyebrow at what Ash was wearing.

Ash was dressed in a renaissance outfit. He had on a blue knee length laced boots and tan tights. He also had on a laced vest, a navy blue cape, and navy blue hat that had a ribbon with a golden yellow insignia of a feathery eye on it.

"What this? Don't you remember, May? When we went to the Cameron Palace and celebrated that hero Sir Aaron guy?"

May grinned. "Is that what that is?"

"Yep. I had to dig down deep in my closet for this bad boy. Took me three whole weeks to find it too."

"I don't even want to know why."

"It's all good. Though, I could have lived without the stares I received over here. And some guy threw a Tamato berry at me when I was getting off the ferry. Those things hurt!" Ash said as he began rubbing his jaw, the apparent place where the red berry hit.

May smiled.

"I'd stare too. What idiot walks around in broad daylight wearing clothes from the 12th century?"

"Hey! Don't be so quick to judge the Ash-man! There's a reason why I wore these clothes for the three-day trip it took it get over here."

"And that reason would be?"

Ash began nervously rubbing the back of his neck when he realized the spotlight had been put on him.

"Well…um…I uh…" he stammered, "Um…oh man. This was so much easier when I practiced in front of Pikachu."

May narrowed her eyes as she began examining him.

"Ash?"

"May I…I…" Ash paused as his voice seemed to go up an octave every time he opened his mouth to speak to her.

"I…I uh…"

"Ash?"

"Oh I'll just say it! May, I wanna marry you!"

May's eyes grew as big as saucers as she stared at her raven-haired boyfriend.

"W-What?"

Ash exhaled loudly.

"I wanna marry you, May."

May shook her head. This was not happening! This could not be happening! She wouldn't let herself believe it.

May tried to still her shaking hands. She didn't even see Ash approach her.

"I know I'm not like those other guys you used to date but…I don't know. I love you, May. I mean, I've felt things for you that I haven't felt for any other woman. Okay, that sounded so wrong but…"

"Ash…" May shook her head firmly as she put her hand to her forehead. This so was _not_ happening!

Ash never stopped looking at her.

"May…I wore these clothes because…well…it was the closest I could ever get to being a real prince. I mean Sir Aaron was this big time hero and everyone loved him because of what he did…I just want to be your knight and shining armor, like Sir Aaron was to the people of Rota."

May pulled her lips in as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"I mean…I may not be the brightest guy out there…and sure I get big-headed a lot…and yeah I don't know when to keep my mouth shut when I get into an argument…and that last battle I had completely shattered my dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master when I got injured. I-I'm out of work, I don't have a job, my leg's shot, I have no class whatsoever, possibly no future…and you're still with me."

May didn't know how much more of this she could take.

"May, all I'm trying to say is…I love you. And I know I'm probably not worthy of you…but it'd make me the happiest man on this planet…if you stuck with me a little longer and I was able to call you my wife," he said as he got down to one knee and pulled out a green velvet box.

May took it and opened it up, too speechless to do anything else. A small 1/3 karat diamond held the center of the 14 white karat gold ring.

A small whimper escaped May's lips as a few loose tears rolled down her face. Ash held her hands. He hated seeing her cry like that. He felt a slight pang in his heart as he gingerly ran his fingers over hers.

"Alrighty, May. The margaritas are made, some steaks are cooling off, and we're just about ready to celebrate our…" Drew began as he sauntered into the living room with a tray of margaritas, a champagne bottle, two steaks, and a red rose in a vase. His face dropped when he saw Ash Ketchum down on one knee and May holding a green box that obviously held an engagement ring.

"May, what's going on?"

"Drew?" Ash immediately got to his feet as he faced his friend's former rival.

"Ash, what are you doing here?"

"I…I just proposed to May."

Drew's eyes shot opened. He let go of the metallic tray he held in his hands, the glass and plates shattering as they hit the floor.

"W-W-What?"

"I just…"

"You couldn't have just proposed to May. I just proposed to May."

"What?" Ash said as he stared at May. His shocked eyes were wide, his mouth opened.

"And she said _yes_," Drew said haughtily.

Ash's face dropped.

"Drew, I did _not_ say that!"

"But you're gonna say yes to him?"

"I…I…"

"Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes," Brendan said as he leaned lazily against the top of May's banister, the sarcastic tone of his voice sending a small chill up May's spine, "I was just on my way out of the bathroom and I find out that the girl who I just asked to marry me, just got proposed to by some flower-giving pansy and a fashion victim loser."

"You proposed to May too," Drew was beginning to seethe with anger.

"Well duh, Mr. Rose-Giver. That's what I just said. I bet it was you who dropped off all these flowers earlier. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, so it was!"

"I knew it!" Brendan screamed as he raced down the stairs towards Drew.

"I'm not going to get into this right now! This isn't about you, me, or Ash," Drew said as he turned to face May.

He took her hands.

"May…"

"…Who do you choose?" Brendan finished for him.

May inhaled deeply to keep from crying. She pressed her hand over her heart and her voice cracked as she spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Slowly, May walked over to the small coffee table in the middle of the room. Taking out the velvet boxes that held their rings, May handed Drew his red case and Brendan his black one. She then made her way to the front door.

"I can't do this right now. So…please leave."

Drew arched his eyebrow May. He looked down at the box, and then chuckled dryly. He rolled his tongue in his mouth as he left the house.

Brendan looked at May, perplexed. He shook his head with each step he took, sighing softly before he too left the house.

Ash didn't move for several moments. After a painful heartbeat, he approached the door. His face was drained of its tan golden complexion. Tears stained his face, his forehead was deeply creased, his face was red and blotchy. He was crestfallen.

Taking his hand, May handed Ash his ring, closing his fingers around it soon afterwards. Ash stared at it for a few seconds before looking painfully back up towards his love. They held each other's painful gaze and after a few tense moments, Ash stepped out of the house, the buckles on his belt clinging as he left.

* * *

Seventy two hours later and May still didn't know what to do. It wasn't so much that she didn't know who she loved. She knew who her true love was very, definitely. It was who she didn't want to lose in the process. If she said yes to one, that would probably mean all forms of communication with the other two would be discontinued. She didn't know if saying 'yes' was worth all of that.

A quiet knocking at her door snapped May out of her thoughts. Getting out of her seat, May went to go answer it. She was surprised to see Ash standing there yet again.

"Ash?"

"Hi, May," he said as he stepped in, "Don't worry. I won't stay long. I only came to pick up a few things."

"A few things?"

"Just a few personal things that I may have left here over the years but was too lazy to pick up. You know like hats, shirts, underwear…"

"Underwear?"

"Don't gimme that look. I didn't say anything when you left that Victoria's Secret thingie by my place, which you still haven't picked up by the way."

May blushed slightly.

"Any _clothing_ that you left here is upstairs in a basket waiting to be picked up by you."

Finding a small watch with a Pikachu printed on it on one of May shelves, Ash quickly snatched it up.

"Aww sweet! I've been looking everywhere for this!"

"Ash, what's going on?"

Ash sighed as he looked back up at his former love.

"I'm leaving, May."

"Leaving? Where are you going?"

"Orre, possibly. Some Rangers are needed down there for some investigating. I'm being sent with them."

"Oh," May sat down quietly on her couch, "How long will you be gone?"

"Forever…Maybe longer."

May furrowed her brow.

"What's going on, Ash? Why are you leaving?"

Ash slumped down on the couch with a thud.

"Oh, May. I feel like such an idiot! When I came over here in that stupid outfit and I proposed to you? You're such a good friend not to laugh in my face."

"Ash, why would I do that?"

"Oh, come on, May!" he said as he shot out of his seat, "Between Drew, Brendan, and Me? There's like no comparison! It's like…getting a double proposal from Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, and five minutes later getting another one from Mr. Bean."

"That's not true, Ash. I took your proposal very seriously."

"You did?"

"Yes, Ash. I did."

A weak smile spread across Ash's lips.

"Thank you, May. I'll be sure to savor that when I'm Orre pulling some demented Persian out of a tree for some cranky old lady," Ash said as he began walking towards the door.

May followed him.

"Ash listen…"

"No, May. You listen," he said as stopped and began approaching her again, "Drew, Brendan…They're the men for you. With them, you'll live an exciting glamorous life. You'll get to travel and get to go to all sorts of places. And you'll be a handsome man whose IQ isn't below that of the two stooges in _Dumb and Dumber_."

"Ash, listen to me!" May screamed as the insecurities her boyfriend was pouring out to her was starting to make her sick to her stomach.

"Why should I?"

"Because…I'm…"

"You're what? May, I'm trying to give you the best life possible."

"Ash, you can't just leave. You told me you loved me."

Ash paused.

"I do love you, May. I love you so much it hurts. My love for you is endless. It can't be measured. You may think I'm being corny but it's the truth."

"I never said that."

"May, your happiness means more to me than anything. Trust me when I say, you won't be happy with me."

"Ash!"

"What can I offer you, May? A modest existence living in a cheap little apartment, hoping and praying that someone somewhere will give me a break? That's not how life works and that's certainly not the life for you."

"Ash…"

"Brendan and Drew can probably give you everything you've ever wanted! I mean, just look at the way they proposed. Flowers and childhood memories. All I did was dress up like some dead knight from the early 12th century."

Ash began moving anxiously about the room.

"Brendan and Drew…they're smart, good-looking, successful…"

"And I chose you…" May said evenly.

Ash froze. He stopped his nervous pacing around the room and looked May dead in the eyes. Her breathing was heavy, her hands were quivering, and tears were streaming down her face.

May continued.

"It's true, Brendan and Drew are successful. Drew's on the A-list in coordinating and Brendan's changing Hoenn's Elite Four into the Elite Five. And I still chose you, Ash Ketchum."

Ash shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Ash, did you see the way they proposed to me earlier? Drew came in here, five years after we separated, talking about how he used to flirt with me when we were younger and how he thinks we're old enough for marriage. And even though I didn't give him an answer, his pompous condescending ass immediately takes control and answers for me, which was why he got the slap in the face he did when he found out I wasn't ready to answer him. Not to mention the fact that he delivered over one hundred roses to my house that are probably gonna die within three days and make my whole house stink."

"Yeah, but…"

"And _then_, Brendan, the friend I haven't seen in ten years, waltzes in here talking about how proud he was to become a member of the Elite. Then he gets down on one knee and thinks that because I'm his best friend, I'm supposed to agree to everything he says. Let me tell you, I'm nobody's yes-man!"

May started to feel slightly ill as the realization that neither man cared about how she felt hit her squarely in the face.

"But May, the way they proposed…"

"Was bogus," she finished for him.

"The way I proposed was bogus."

"The way you proposed was sincere. I mean, the Sir Aaron outfit was thoughtful, and the reason behind it was touching. And then, the speech you gave me about how you weren't perfect but how you still loved me and how we would work through it as long as we were together. That almost brought me to tears."

Ash put his hand to his chin.

"Are you trying to make me feel better? Cause you're not doing a very good job."

"Damn it, Ash! What do you want from me?"

"Nothing May. I don't want anything from you. I have a three o' clock flight. It's already two fifteen. It's solely because my heart won't let me why I haven't moved from this spot."

May shook her head. "You're still going?"

"I have to, May. This is only thing I have left that can actually influence and better my future. I'm not making any money. I have to feed Pikachu and my other pokémon. I'm not satisfied with just getting by."

"I can help you. Let me help you."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. I want you to stay here."

"May, I can't!" he said as he yanked the door opened.

May started chocking.

"Ash, LISTEN TO ME!"

Ash closed his eyes and froze. Slowly, he turned back around to face May.

"Ash, you can't leave."

"Why?"

"Because…I can't imagine my life without you," she said almost inaudibly.

Ash narrowed his eyes.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, that I fell in love with you Ash Ketchum and I wanna be able to call you my husband too."

Ash just stared at her, his brown eyes peering into her sapphire ones.

"May, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

May smiled.

"Do you still have the ring?"

Looking past May, Ash nodded towards the green box he had put on her coffee table when he found his Pikachu watch. May walked over to it and picked it up.

"Ash, three days ago you asked me to marry you and I couldn't give you an answer because I felt like I was being put on the spot, by you, Brendan, and Drew. I didn't realize how much I hurt you until today…You keep talking about how you're not worthy of me but the truth is, I'm not worthy of you. I mean, I forgot to tell a past boyfriend that I was seeing someone else. I inadvertently led my best friend on to thinking that we might have some kind of future together. And I hurt a man that I really care about when he laid his heart on the line," she set the ring back down on the table.

"Well, today I am ready to answer your question, Ash. And I mean it with all of my heart. Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes to your question."

"What question?"

May smiled.

"Yes, I wanna marry you! My answer to your proposal is _yes_!"

Ash stared slack-jawed at his girlfriend.

"Could…could you say that again?"

"Yes, I wanna marry you too!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't…

"YES, I WANNA MARRY YOU!"

Ash smiled.

"That I heard!"

Ash dropped all the items he held in his hands and raced over to his fiancée, enveloping her in a Snorlax-sized hug before planting a warm kiss right on her lips.

"Oh, sorry May."

"You're apologizing for kissing me?"

"No, no, no. It's just…well…it was so sudden."

"Who said I didn't like it?"

Ash slowly looked away.

"Well, I'm going to shut up now."

May lightly nudged him as she held out her right hand.

"I believe you have a ring to put on my finger."

Reaching over on the coffee table, Ash pulled picked up the green box that held his engagement ring. It was then that he noticed the scrapbook that May had been looking into a few days ago. He saw a photo of Drew and Brendan and the two immediately came to mind.

"May?"

"Hm?"

"What are you gonna do about Brendan and Drew? I mean, if you're saying yes to me then…"

May caught on to what he was saying and stood up. Opening one of the draws, she took out the black box that Brendan brought a few days ago. She opened it up to Ash and he was shocked to see that the case was empty.

"He came over two days ago and delivered it."

"W-Where's…"

"He took it back. After I told him I didn't wanna marry him, he kept the ring and put it in his old badge case."

"You told him you wanted to marry me?"

"I told him I didn't wanna marry him. I told him I loved him as a friend and that was it. He left a little more than irritated but he'll get over it…eventually."

"What about Drew?"

"Drew didn't even come back. His stuck-up behind was still pissed off that I had rejected him the previous night. Far as I'm concerned, Drew doesn't even exist. He doesn't wanna have a relationship with me and I don't need to have one with him."

"Not even friends?"

"Were we ever?"

"Good point…So May, earlier you said that you didn't answer me because you felt like you were being put on the spot."

"Right," she said as she started playing with his hair.

"Are you saying that even if we came on separate days, your answer would still be the same?"

"Uh-Huh."

"Okay…Now I'm confused."

"Don't be," she said as wrapped her bandana around his neck, "Just tell me that you won't be going to Orre and that no matter what, we _will_ get through."

"I won't be going to Orre because I've probably missed my plane by now and I _will_ get through because I have you."

"Aww," May gave him another kiss on the lips.

"Tell me something, May."

"Anything."

"That Victoria's Secret thingie you left at my house…was that lace or is it some kind of silk because whatever it is, Pikachu likes it."

* * *

**A/N:** And there's chapter four. So sorry it took so long. I'm not really sure how I felt about this one. It didn't really play out the way I thought it would but I still hope you guys enjoyed it.

Coming up, the grand finale to the series! And I promise it won't take as long as this one.


	5. Is He Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Here's the fifth and final chapter to the series. It's slightly different from the others but I still hope you enjoy it. Ash goes on a game show and surprises everyone at the end…especially a brown-haired coordinator.

* * *

As the audience applauds, Jeff Foxworthy turns to face the camera.

"We have someone who has quite literally saved the world lots of times, battling legendaries, fighting off evil, and even stopping to eat at a restaurant or two. But is he smarter than a 5th grader? Let's find out!"

Turning towards a hallways he shouts, "Let's meet our new 5th grader, Ash Ketchum!"

At the announcement, Ash comes down the corridor with a big smile on his face and his hand waving in the air. He was dressed in his Sinnoh outfit and as he passes the kids, he gives them all a high five.

Ash walks up to his podium.

"Welcome to Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Mr. Ketchum." Jeff says.

Ash nods.

"Thanks Jeff, and might I say what an honor to be here. My friends and I just love your show."

Jeff smiles.

"Let's meet who you've brought. Now, if I'm not mistaken you've brought your mother and some close friends."

Ash beams brightly.

"Righty-o Jeff! I brought my mom, my pokemon and best buddy Pikachu, my friend Brock, my friend Dawn, my girlfriend May, her younger Max, her parents Norman and Caroline, and I lost a bet and had to bring my rival Paul here too.

"I heard that!" Paul shouted from the stands.

Jeff smiles.

"Let's start with your family…We have your mom, who has been very supportive of you since day one. Ladies and gentlemen, Delia Ketchum!"

A loud eruption of cheering from the audience happens which goes on for a few seconds.

"I can imagine you must be very proud of your son. A Sinnoh League champion, on the fast track to becoming a Pokemon Master, and saves the world almost on a regular basis."

"Well Jeff, I am very proud of my little Ashy and I think that if anyone's going to win the million dollars tonight, it will be him. He is truly something special."

"That he is, I won't argue with that."

He turns his attention to Max.

"Now you must be Max, Ash's friend and quite the little genius at getting into trouble from what I hear."

"I resent that. I get in no more trouble than May does when she's caught playing kissyface with Ash."

May nudges Max as her face begins to heat up.

"It says here that you were Ash's navigator when you guys were traveling in Hoenn and Kanto and that you did a lot of studying when gave your sister advice on battling in addition to being a genius. So I have to ask, why aren't you the one up here running for a million dollars?"

Max just smirks and crosses his arms.

"Well, I actually tried but your producers said I was too young."

Jeff smiles and says, "Well, maybe we will have a young trainers segment sometime. Would you be interested in coming back then?"

Max's eyes lit up as he shouts loudly, "You bet!"

Jeff then turns to Caroline and Norman.

"You must be Max's parents. I know you must be proud of his friend Ash here."

"Well, we have always been proud of, Ash. I knew the moment he stepped into my gym that he was going to be something special," Norman said with a grin.

"Yes, Jeff. Ash truly is a remarkable young man. We know he'll go far and we're just so happy for him," Caroline said with a smile.

Ash smiles at this. Jeff then turns to Brock.

"And I guess. You're Brock. It says here you're a pokemon breeder and a part-time cook in Kanto. It also says that you were the gym leader of Pewter City before you turned the title back over to your dad?"

"Why, yes. My main ambition has always been to become a pokemon breeder and I got relatively good comments on my cooking so the part-time job at the restaurant wasn't really a surprise. And so I had to leave my gym to my dad. It was really his profession. But now I'm considering leaving it to my little brother. He's really good at raising my pokemon too. I just have to convince my dad that he's old enough and ready to take on the responsibilities of the gym."

"How do you feel about Ash coming on the show and going for one million dollars?"

"Well, I definitely think he has a chance. I mean, in all the years I've known Ash he's never been one to back down from a challenge and this is no exception."

Jeff nods his head and turns to Dawn and Paul.

"And you must be Dawn and you Paul?"

"Right."

"Whatever," Paul said as he crossed his arms.

"I imagine you must be very proud of your friend Ash with everything that he's done."

"Yes, Jeff. We…"

"Where's the food? You told me there was food here, Dawn," Paul said as he gave his girlfriend a scornful look.

"Sir, there's no eating in the studio."

"What? What kind of a show is this? You're gonna provide entertainment and no food?"

"Paul please…"

"I'd like to know how you feel about Ash," Jeff goaded on.

"I don't give a crap about that loser! I want food!"

"Right here, Paul," Ash said as he lazily waved his hand at his arrogant rival.

Jeff shakes his head and turns to May, the last one in the row.

"And you must be May, right? Ash's best friend and girlfriend?"

May smiles brightly.

"Yep and don't forget to add that he's been the most amazing boyfriend throughout college!"

"Imagine my surprise when I found out I had to go _back_ to school in order to achieve our goals…" Ash said with no clear emotion.

"Win one for us, Ash! I know you can do it!" May said as she waves a hand up in the air and shouts. Pikachu joins her.

"Sure thing, May."

Jeff turns back to Ash.

"Now are you ready to begin, Ash?"

"You bet Jeff!" he said, taking a strong stance on the podium.

"Okay, let's get started. Pick your first classmate."

Ash turns his head to look at the five kids all waving their arms excitedly, wanting to be the first choice for him.

"This is so hard to pick… I choose Olivia!"

Olivia runs up to Ash and gives him a high five in passing before running to her podium with the raised stand so she could be on level height.

"I bet you didn't know that Olivia here is aspiring to become a Pokemon Master too."

Ash smiles as he did know being a fan of the show but he decides to humor them.

"Really? Got any badges yet?"

"I have five of them and I am the best in my class!"

"Maybe after the show you can show me how good you are?"

"Okay!" Olivia said excitedly. She had the chance to put her skills up against someone who was legendary in battling and maybe even get some pointers if she played her cards right!

Jeff speaks up.

"Okay, time for the rules. You can 'Peek' at your classmate's answer and may choose whether to go along with it or not, however, you must answer the question upon using this cheat. You can choose to 'Copy' your classmate's paper but you're locked into using your classmate's answer, without being able to see it first. And finally you have a 'Save' in case you answer incorrectly but your classmate is correct, in which you are credited with a correct answer. This will be used automatically on your first incorrect response."

Jeff then turns towards the board.

"Okay, now there are ten subjects on the board and if you can get past all of them, you will have the option to go for an extra question which will be a 5th grade question that is worth one million dollars."

Ash focuses on the board.

"I'm ready, Jeff. Let's win that million!"

Jeff chuckles.

"I like your attitude Ash. It's time to play Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader! Now pick a subject from the board."

"First Grade Pokemon Science."

"For 1,000 dollars, Ash, what is a female Rapidash called?"

Ash smiles.

"Well, since I did ride when I traveled back in Kanto…"

"During a battle, in a race, and while it was evolving!" May shouts out.

"I still have fears of riding that pokemon…" Ash says nervously before turning back towards Jeff, "The answer is 'Mare' and that is my choice." He then slams his hand down on the buzzer.

"A Rapidash…is a fire horse pokemon. A female horse…is called a Mare, which means a female Rapidash is a Mare. You're right. Ash, you now have 1,000 dollars."

"That's my Ashy! That's my baby! Make mommy proud!" Delia screams from her seat.

Ash smiles at his mom as Jeff faces him once more.

"What do you want to pick next?"

"I'm thinking Second Grade Measurements."

"For 2,000 dollars, the question is…if Jacob stands on Spencer's shoulders, they are two and a half feet high. How many feet is that?"

Jeff begins laughing to himself as he reads the question. Ash just smiles.

"Well, Jeff, being a fan of the show, I have seen that question once before. I will not make the same mistake poor Jennifer made two years ago when she answered this question."

"Oh really?"

"Nope," Ash says as he shakes his head, "I have no idea why she blurted out 362 feet in a yard but I'm not gonna do that. I may be slightly dense, _admittedly_, but I am not gonna say there's 362 feet in one yard. I know there's only three."

"Okay, so the basic question here is how many feet is two and a half yards. That's the basic question here."

"And my answer is seven and a half," Ash said as he slammed his hand on the buzzer. Jeff sighs.

"Ash…two years ago, a woman made a mistake and got this question wrong," Jeff said, pausing to see if he can make Ash doubt himself but he remained calm and waits with the look of a man who knew he was right.

Jeff continues.

"You however…did not make a mistake. You're right! You've got 2,000 dollars!"

Ash just grins widely as the audience continues to applause.

"Ash, it's time for you to pick a new classmate. Olivia, thank you," Jeff says as the brown-haired young girl stepped down from her stand back down to her desk.

"I'll be waiting for you after class, Ash!"

"Will do," he said as he put his hand to his chin, "Let's see…Cody!"

The caramel skinned boy screams 'yes' as he runs up to his podium.

"It's so cool to meet you! Is your girlfriend as fun as she is cute?"

"Even more fun!" Ash says with a laugh.

Jeff then calls out to May in the audience.

"I bet he can be a _real_ handful at times, am I wrong?"

May chuckles.

"Yeah, but that's just one of the things I love about him, Jeff."

Jeff then turns back to Ash.

"There are eight subjects remaining on the board. What do you want to pick Ash?"

"Hmm…I dunno. What are you good at, Cody?"

"English and Art are my forte."

"Alrighty, we'll go with Third Grade English."

"For 5,000 dollars Ash, the third grade question is, a bus driver took an alternate route to the airport. What is the compound word in this sentence? A-Driver? B-Route? C-Airport? D-Alternate."

Ash stares at the board and thinks about his answer. As he does this, Cody locks in his answer.

"Your classmate has locked in his answer."

Ash closes his eyes and thinks aloud.

"A compound word is a word made up of two or more other words. So I know it's not Driver or Route. That leaves C and D."

"Remember you still have all of your cheats," Jeff reminded him.

Ash thinks about his answer some more.

"My answer is C," he said finally, slamming his hand on the buzzer.

Jeff slowly walks around the stage as he begins to explain.

"Ash, you chose C-Airport."

"Yes."

"Ash, you were right, when you said a compound word is made up of two or more words. That is its rightful definition. That automatically rules out answer choice B-Route, like you said. The word 'Driver' contains the root word 'drive' and the suffix 'er'. 'Er' is not classified as a word and thus, the word 'driver' is not classified as a compound word."

Ash remains cool as Jeff continues to give his explanation.

"The word 'Alternate' is a three syllable word and has compound parts. But it is not a compound word. 'Airport'…is a compound word, containing both words 'Air' and 'Port', you now have 5,000 dollars!"

The crowd goes wild with cheer for a few moments before dying back down.

"There are seven questions separating you from the one million dollar question."

"I think I'll go with my man Cody here and say Fifth Grade Art."

"For 10,000 dollars, the fifth the grade question is,…what artist painted the famous painting _St. George and the Dragon_?"

Ash's eyes widened as he continues to look at the screen while Cody and the other students write down their answer.

"That's a fifth grade question?"

Jeff chuckles as Cody then locks in his answer.

"Your classmate has just locked in his answer."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard his buzzer go off when he hit it," Ash said, earning a hearty laugh from the audience and his classmate. He continued to stare at the board.

"St. George and the Dragon…I've never even heard of that painting before…I dunno. What do you think here, Cody?" he said as he turned to his classmate, who just pursed his lips.

"Can't tell me, huh?"

"Ash, you do still have all of your cheats left," Jeff reminded him again.

"Yeah, I know. It's just…It's still kinda early in the game and I really don't know that much about art. Only painting I know of is the Mona Lisa and that was created by some Da Vinci guy."

"Do you think Leonardo Da Vinci created this portrait too?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Well Ash, you have two options. You could walk away or you could use one of your cheats. Now, I want you to walk away with that million dollars."

"I do too."

"And you did say, that Cody here was good in Art," he said patting the young boy on the back.

"Yeah, that's what he told me."

There was another pause before he answered.

"You know what, Jeff…I think I'm just gonna use one of my cheats and 'peek' at what my man Cody has written," Ash said finally locking in his answer.

Jeff restates the question.

"The question was what artist painted the famous painting _St. George and the Dragon_? Your classmate, Cody, said…" he pauses as Cody's answer comes up on the board, "Raphael."

Ash cocks his eyebrow.

"Raphael? Isn't there a television with some ninja turtle with that name?"

"Ash, do you want to go with Cody's answer or do you want to go with your own answer?"

Ash began scratching his head.

"I don't really have an answer. I would have never guessed that Raphael guy painted that picture but then again, I'm not so good at art so...I'm going to agree with my pal Cody and lock in his answer," Ash said slamming his hand on his buzzer.

Jeff looks back into the audience.

"Pikachu, how do you feel about your trainer's choice?"

"Pi Pikachu!" the little mouse said, making the victory symbol with his paws.

"If only I understood what he was saying. Ash, if you had to guess, what do you think the answer would be?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

"But if you had to guess…"

"Well, I mean, the only artist I know is Da Vinci so…but that's wrong."

"Well we don't know yet," Jeff said as he stepped next to him, "Ash, you chose you lock in your classmate's answer. Let me tell you, that if you had said Leonardo Da Vinci,…you would have gone home with nothing, that's not the right answer."

"Thank goodness I didn't say Da Vinci."

"The right answer…is what your classmate Cody wrote. Raphael. You now have 10,000 dollars!"

Ash gives Cody a high five as the crowd continues to cheer at his success.

Jeff speaks up.

"Ash, once again, it is time for you to choose another classmate. Cody thank you," he said as Cody returns to his seat.

Ash smiles.

"I pick Sierra!"

Sierra smiles runs up to the podium, just staring at Ash to the point where it makes him a bit uncomfortable.

"Um…h-hi Sierra."

Sierra says nothing, but continues to stare at Ash, making that much more uncomfortable. Jeff speaks up.

"Sierra, stop staring at him so we can continue on with the game."

"Sorry…but he's just so cute and cool!"

Ash smiles weakly.

"Well, thank you but I'm taken, though," he said flashing a smile at May, who returned it and blew him a kiss.

"Okay," she said looking down.

"If you want, I know a certain young trainer who's single and might consider going out with you."

"No way, Ash! I am _so_ not gonna start dating!" Max shouted from the audience.

Sierra smiles.

"Thanks, Ash. But you're the only guy for me," she said in a syrupy voice, causing Ash to cringe.

"Sierra, if you're done flirting with our newest classmate I'd like to continue on with our game," Jeff said giving her a look, "Honestly, what would your parents think…Okay Ash, there are six questions left on the board. What do you want to do?"

"I'm leaning towards Fourth Grade Math," Ash said with a smile.

"For 25,000 dollars, the fourth grade question is,…a heptagon is a shape with seven sides? True or False?"

Ash puts his hand to his chin as Jeff restates the question.

"A heptagon is a shape with seven sides, true or false? You've got a 50-50 chance at getting this question right so there's no need to stress," he says as Sierra locks in her answer.

"I'm not stressed. I can't afford to be right now, anyway."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"No…not really. Just disregard it. The answer is true," he said as he locked in his answer.

Jeff purses his lips before he begins.

"Ash, last time you 'peeked' at your classmate's answer and got the answer right. This time you didn't use any of your cheats…and you still got the answer right. You now have 25,000 dollars!"

"Whooo! Way to go Ash!" May shouts from her seat. Ash smiled back at her as Jeff approached him.

"Ash, from this point on, you _cannot_ end up with less than 25,000 dollars."

"That's good to know Jeff, but I'm still going for that million."

"Then you better pick your next subject. There are five subjects left."

Ash muses over it for a while before answering.

"IIII…piiiiick…World Geography."

"For 50,000 dollars, the World Geography question is,…on which region, is an Aipom's natural habitat?"

Ash put his hand to his chin.

"Well, I know Aipom live in heavily wooded areas…"

Sierra locks in her answer.

"Your classmate has locked in her answer."

Ash continues to stare at the board.

"Johto, final answer," he says as he locks in his answer.

"You locked in that answer a bit quicker than the others."

"Well, I know an Aipom can be found anywhere since they nest in heavily wooded areas. And since the question was what was their _natural_ habitat, I had to think about where Aipom's are mostly populated, which is in the Johto region."

Jeff pauses before responding.

"Ash…you just won 50,000 dollars."

Again, a loud eruption of cheering from the audience happens which goes on for a few seconds.

"It is again time for you to pick a new classmate. Thank you Sierra," Jeff says as Seirra steps down from her podium.

"I'll always love you Ash!" she called out before taking her seat, which just causes Ash to nervously rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Who do you choose next Ash?"

Ash smiles.

"I pick MacKenzie!"

MacKenzie smiles and eagerly runs up to her podium.

"Can I say something?"

"As long as it doesn't take up too much of our time. We gotta keep going so we don't run over. An all-new _Mental_ starts so make it quick MacKenzie."

MacKenzie nods her head and turns to Ash.

"Is it true that she's a top coordinator?"

"May? Yeah, she is. The best in her class. She has a Rainbow Contest Pass which lets her travel anywhere, plus, she's broken more world records than anyone before her time."

MacKenzie smiles and turns to May.

"You're so cool! I wanna be a top coordinator just like you!"

"Go for it! You can do it! Believe in yourself and if you can't, find an amazing boyfriend like my Ashy who does!"

"MAY!" Ash shouts as he blushes.

"I guess your girlfriend can be just as much of a handful as you can be," Jeff says with a light chuckle.

"Oh, she means more to me than that."

"What do you mean by that?"

Ash smiles.

"You'll see…I promised myself I would tell until later."

"That's the second time you brought up something that relates to your relation with your girlfriend."

"It is. You just have to wait and see why."

Jeff just shakes his head as he turns his attention back to the board.

"Ash, there are four subjects left on the board. Which one would you like to pick?"

"I don't know. What do you think beautiful? What should I pick?" he calls out to May.

She smiles.

"I'm thinking about Second Grade Reading."

"For 100,000 dollars, Ash…the question is… In the Dewey Decimal System, where would you find books about poetry?"

Ash grins widely.

"I know this one. After spending three days locked up in Professor Oak's Lab, I know I know the answer to this! The answer is 800-899," he says as he hits his buzzer with his hand just as MacKenzie locks in her answer.

Jeff slowly walks around as he reads the question aloud slowly, "In the Dewey Decimal System, where would you find books about poetry?" He turns to Ash's family and says, "What do you all think? Is he right?"

"I believe in my Ashy. If that is what he says the answer is, then that is what it is," Delia says

"He's right Jeff!" May says.

"Pika Pi!"

"Yep!" Max says.

"I know he's right! I know everything about poetry!" Dawn says.

"He's right," Brock says.

Paul left the studio, so of course, he didn't give an answer.

Jeff turns back to Ash.

"Ash…your friends and family are all correct. You have just won 100,000 dollars."

As the audience cheers again, Ash thinks about his next choice.

"Let's go with Fifth Grade Science."

"Fifth Grade Science…Ash, your question is…in the northern hemisphere, in what month is the autumnal equinox?"

Ash puts his hand to his mouth as he thinks about the question. Jeff restates the question.

"In the northern hemisphere, in what month is the autumnal equinox?"

MacKenzie locks in her answer.

"Your classmate has just…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. My classmate has just locked in her answer. What do I want to do?"

Jeff just raises his left eyebrow as he looks over the youth.

"Let's see…there are twelve months in a year…I know it can't be January…know it's not February, March, or April…"

"You still have two of your cheats left, Ash."

"I know…I know…"

He continues to stare at the board.

"What month is the autumnal equinox of the northern hemisphere…I'm thinking either September or…August…"

"Really? And why is that?"

"Because…autumn begins in September and August…I'm gonna say September…" he says as he puts his hand over his buzzer.

"Are you sure? You do still have two of your cheats left."

"You're trying to get me to use all of my cheats aren't you?"

"I'm trying to make sure you walk away with that million."

"Well, I'm going to walk away with that million. My answer is September!" he said, slamming his hand over the buzzer.

Jeff slowly sucks his teeth.

"Ash…you just won 175,000 dollars."

A loud eruption of cheering is heard coming from the audience as Ash gives MacKenzie a high five.

"Now, I don't know what any of that autumn is in this month thing was about because the autumn equinox is when the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south in the northern hemisphere, but you got it right."

"Well, it also marks the first day of autumn, which is in September, which is why I chose it, thank you very much."

Jeff just shakes his head.

"Mac…MacKenzie you can step down now. Thank you."

MacKenzie walks back over to her seat but not before giving Ash another high five.

"Time to pick your last classmate, Ash."

"I pick Bryce!"

Bryce makes a victory symbol with his hand as he runs up to his podium. He turns to Brock in the audience.

"You're so cool Brock! I wanna be a breeder just like you!"

Brock smiles.

"Well thanks. It takes a lot of time and patience, but I'm sure you can do it."

Jeff walks over to Ash. He had to admit that he was one cool contestant, as most of them would be sweating about this point. He looks at Byrce, though given the way Ash had been going, he wouldn't get to play.

"Ash…there are two questions left on the board. What do you want to choose?"

"Let's go with First Grade Health."

"For 300,000 dollars, the question is…what is the fastest bird underwater?"

"Pokemon? Bird Pokemon? It's not specific."

"The question states what is the fastest _bird_ underwater."

"But I'm asking you is the question about bird pokemon. You can't expect me to give an answer unless I fully understand the question."

"The question does not include the word pokemon, Ash."

"But it could still be talking about a bird pokemon."

"I'm only reading you what the question says."

Ash crosses his arms.

"The question isn't clear. I'd feel more comfortable if you asked your producers."

Jeff gawks at him.

"You want me to ask my producers?"

"Yes."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

Jeff drops his hands and stares blankly at Ash.

"Never mind. The answer is Golduck," he said slamming his hand on the buzzer.

Jeff merely stares at Ash for a few moments before turning his attention back to the game.

"I don't know why you would want me to call me producers Ash because you just earned yourself 300,000 dollars."

"WHOO-HOO! Way to go Ash!" May shouts from the audience.

"Pika Pi!"

Jeff turns to Ash.

"Ash, there is only one question left on the board that is separating you from that one million dollar question."

"And I'm ready to pick the last subject on the board, Jeff. Let's answer the Fourth Grade Physical Science question!"

"For 500,000 dollars, the science question is… On what scale does all molecular motion stop at –273?"

Brock looks worried from where he sits as he knew the answer but wasn't sure if Ash would know.

May notices his worry.

"Don't worry, Ash will win this one."

Jeff pats the card in his hand.

"If you get this wrong Ash, you will lose back 475,000 dollars," he says as Bryce locks in his answer.

"No. My classmate can still 'save' me. But I'm not gonna get this wrong so you might as well stop trying to put me under pressure," he said as he continued to stare at the board. He knew that it was zero degrees on Kelvin…and –459 Fahrenheit…so that left…

"Celsius! Final answer!" he said as he slammed his hand on the buzzer.

"Molecular motion, stops at zero on the Kelvin scale because there is no heat and all motion stops …Molecular motion stops at –459 on the Fahrenheit scale…at –273…Molecular motion stops on the Celsius scale. You're absolutely right. You now have 500,000 dollars."

The whole audience cheers loudly for Ash and May and Pikachu even whistle loudly for him. Brock just smiles at knowing that Ash had the right answer.

"Bryce, you may step down now. Thank you," Jeff says as Bryce goes back to his seat.

Jeff turns to Ash.

"Ash, you now have 500,000 dollars. You have two options as to what you can do. You can 'drop out' now and go home with your 500,000 dollars, or you can go for the million dollar question. But unlike before, you will have the aide of your classmates, and once you see this question, you _must _answer it, right or wrong."

Ash smiles.

"Jeff, I came all the way here from Kanto for that million and I'm going for that million. I don't need cheats to win. I've got something else pushing me forward."

The audience cheers for Ash as Jeff looks towards the board.

"Ash Ketchum is going for the million dollars. There has only been one person to win that million before you."

"I know."

"And you really don't want to 'drop out' of school? You'd still have the 500,000 dollars."

"No, Jeff. I'm not dropping out. I came this far. I'm going for that million and I'm gonna win it."

Again, the audience cheers.

"Well, Ash before we see that question we might as well hear how you feel. I mean, what's going through your mind right now? We don't get here very often."

Ash sighs.

"Well…I'm excited, that's for sure. Anxious…"

"You're anxious to see the question?"

"I'm anxious of what's gonna happen after I see the question."

"You mean, you don't know if you'll know the answer?"

"Not…exactly."

The audience chuckles at Ash's answer.

"Well, are you ready to see it, Ash?"

"You bet. Show me that million dollar question!"

"Alright…The World History Question…worth one million dollars…is this…" he says as the question appears on the board.

"What general, during the Battle of Shiloh, was shot, taking a bullet behind his right knee, and later died?"

He restates the question as Ash stares at the board.

"What general, during the Battle of Shiloh, was shot, taking a bullet behind his right knee, and later died?"

Ash continues to stare at the board.

"What general…was shot…during the Battle of Shiloh…taking a bullet behind his right knee …and later died…okay…three names coming to mind here…"

The audience remains silent and Ash bows his head as he thinks.

"Come on Ash…Think…You can do this…I know Stonewall Jackson was a general during the Civil War…but he didn't participate in the Battle of Shiloh…the other two are Albert Sidney Johnston and Joseph E. Johnston. I know one of them was the general who was wounded and the other…felt that he shouldn't be ranked behind Cooper, Lee, and the other Johnston, which put animosity between themselves and Jefferson Davis throughout the rest of war. The problem is…I don't remember…which one did what. And they both have the same last names…"

May clasped her hands over her mouth as she continued to look at her boyfriend. This was the question that would either make him or break him. And what made it even more nerve-wracking was that she knew the answer. They had spent days preparing for the show and this was part of the things he studied. She knew he knew the answer. He just had to dig down deep to try to remember.

Suddenly Ash sits up.

"Albert Sidney Johnston. That's my final answer," he said slamming his hand over the buzzer.

The audience cheers as Jeff approaches Ash for the final time.

"You're making me teary-eyed when you're standing there going, I can do this, I can do this…think, think…"

"I gotta win this. I gotta win this, Jeff."

Jeff sighs.

"You knew so many facts about the Civil War. Why do you think Albert Johnston is the general in question?"

"Well, you know…I mean there could only be one answer and I was trying to remember his horse's name cause I thought that would be a key element but I couldn't. So I just thought of something else."

"What do you think his horse's name is?"

"I thought it was Traveller? I hope."

Again, Jeff sighs.

"Ash…the reality is…Traveller was General Lee's horse. The famous Robert E Lee, his horse's name was Traveller."

Ash winces.

"Albert Sidney Johnston's horse's name was Fire Eater…and that's the horse…he was riding when he was shot behind his right knee during the Battle of Shiloh! You just won a million dollars! We have our _second_ million dollar winner! Ash Ketchum!"

A loud eruption of screams is heard coming from the audience as Ash cries out 'YES' and the studio lights begin flashing. May leaps over the wall and runs over to Ash's podium, kissing him with such passion, surprising her parents, her brother, Jeff, and Ash as well.

"Hey now! This is still a family show."

"That's exactly what this here money is going to be used for Jeff," Ash says, pulling back. He notices his puzzled expression and goes on to explain.

"Earlier I said I had an announcement to make. But I wasn't going to tell because it was a surprise. Well, now I'm gonna do it. Now, some of you probably won't agree with what I'm about to do, saying this isn't the type of thing you do in front of thousands and thousands of people or on national television. But you know what? It's the Ash Ketchum way and…"

"Ash, the show has to end in less than three minutes or else we'll run over," Jeff reminded him.

Ash just smiled.

"Well, let me make this brief. All the other people who came on this show were more experienced than me, by a far, so knew I had to have a little help."

The studio went almost silent.

"You see, I knew I needed an edge. So I just started thinking of this beautiful woman right here. My girlfriend, May," he said hugging her slightly, "She is just the greatest, most beautiful, most amazing woman in the world and she picked me. Why I don't know. But I do know I love her. I wanted to do something so special for her. When I answered that million dollar question just now, I didn't know the answer. But then I remembered when I went to the store earlier this week. Because I had studied his topic so much in the past, I wanted to make sure I remembered it. So, I walked into the store and I saw this ring. An 18k Yellow Gold 3-Stone Round Brilliant Blue Sapphire ring. And I asked the jeweler 'how big is that rock', and he said it was about the same size as a bullet. Poof! That was all I needed to remember to get that question right."

He looks over to May.

"But now I would like to ask someone who I feel is very important in my life a very important question."

He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee.

"May Maple, I love you more than anything in this world. This is for meaning more to me than my own life. Will you marry me?" he said as he opened the box.

Inside was a gold ring, with a large diamond, wreathed in smaller stones. Flanking the main arrangement were two sapphires that matched the rest of her jewelry.

May could barely keep standing. Her heart nearly came out of her chest. Ash had just yelled out to everyone in the studio and to the whole world that he loved her. And he proposed to her! Everyone was looking at her and at Ash. The cheering and applause inside the studio was deafening. The shock on Norman's face was inevitable as he stared at the two of them while Caroline and Delia clasped their hands and stared at the two lovingly.

Tears in her eyes, May cleared her throat as she gave Ash her answer.

"Yes, Ash, Yes! I would be happy to marry you!"

The studio roared its approval as May wrapped her arms around his neck as gave him a kiss. Ash pulled the ring out of the box and slipped the old promise ring off, transferring it to her middle finger. Then he slipped the new ring on, kissing her again soon afterwards.

"Well, I think that's the first time we've ever had a proposal here on this show," Jeff says as he looks warily at the couple.

"Yep, and I'm gonna use the money to buy May and me a new home."

"Aww," May says as she kisses him on the cheek.

Jeff turns to the camera.

"Only here on Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader. We'll see you next time!" Jeff says as he holds up his hand and starts to count down with his fingers.

"Wait! I still have one last announcement!"

"You have 5 seconds."

Ash turns to face the camera.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, Sinnoh League Champion, and newly engaged to be married and I AM smarter than a fifth grader!"

* * *

**A/N:** And there's the ending to the series folk! I hope you enjoyed it. Again, it didn't play out like I thought it would but I still hope you liked it!

Please don't forget to review!

XyKPfan


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